The Child of Time
by JD11
Summary: When a mysterious boy leaves his, again, mysterious home, where does he go and why? *Finished*
1. The Beginning of the Beginning

Author's Note: Warning: This story does have temporal paradoxes in it, if you have a tendency to get headaches from said thing, I caution you to read if you do not own aspirin. 

Also I have to give credit to my beta reader, 'Jenny Jinn' a.k.a. Doby a.k.a. my sister. Thanks Doby.

Summary: When a mysterious boy leaves his, again, mysterious home, where does he go and why?

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Chapter 1:

The Beginning of the Beginning

A man, in his late forties, stood next to a bed, which held a young boy of fifteen maybe sixteen. The boy's ears formed a point at the tip, much unlike the man next to him, yet he had blonde strikes in his black hair, a trait passed down to him from the man.

"He's not leaving until tomorrow," A female voice whispered to the man. She, like the boy, had point ears and black hair, without the strikes. She walked up to the man and put her head on his shoulder and as he put his arm around her waist. 

"I know, I know. It's just hard ta think he's leavin'. Actually, it's down right confusin' but," He shook his head as if trying to ride himself of the thought. 

The women nodded her understanding, then said, "We should go to bed, it will be a hard day tomorrow, if he's right."

"Ya," The man turned them around and walked them back to their room.

**The Next Day**

The entire building shook as he ran to the Commander Center. "What's going on?" He demanded.

"It's the Suliban. They're attacking." Someone yelled over the explosions.

The young boy ran in, walking to a station hardly with ease thorough all the shaking and such. The man walked up to him and blocked his way. "You should be getting' ready."

"I'm not leaving while you're under attack," The boy's voice was quiet though he was shouting. Just then, one of the consuls exploded, as the man knocked the boy down taking the brunt of it. 

"GO!" His desperate voice yelled, as they boy gentle nudged him off. The man's eyes closed and his breathing stopped, the boy's eyes widened with fear as he saw the death and sprung up before he was captured a bright light. 

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Please R/R if you like and would like me to continue. I like to hear suggestions, comments, and etc. but no flames pleases. 


	2. The Beginning

Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long, between school and Thanksgiving and everyone in my family deciding to suddenly start using the computer, I haven't been able to get on. But you know it's here now so enjoy!

Summary: A distress call from a planet maybe the beginning of the future. 

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Chapter 2:

The Beginning of the Beginning

It was a normal day on Enterprise. Everything was running smoothly, the bridge was buzzing with people talking and working, but little did they know that in the next few months their lives would change forever. 

"I'm receiving a distress call," Hoshi Sato called from her position at communications. 

"Where." Captain Jonathan Archer said not as a question but an order. 

"The Vontago System." Hoshi answered.

"Mayweather, maximum speed," Archer ordered without pause. 

"I'm on it sir, we'll be there in two hours, sir," came the answer from the Helm.

"T'Pol, do you know anything about the Vontago System?" Archer asked. 

T'Pol stopped to think about it before answering. "There are three planets orbiting a red giant. Two are M class, but only one is inhabited. A Vulcan monastery I believe."

**Two Hours Later**

They had reached the planet. It looked beautiful, swirls of white and blue, purple and brownish green all mixed together to from the planets appearance. But when you looked closely, you could see the scorch marks from the apparent attack.

"I'm detecting one life form. It's Vulcan, sir." Hoshi said, confirming their earlier suspicion. 

Archer nodded, but not a satisfied one. "Only one, Hoshi?"

"Yes, sir."

Archer sighed. "Very well. Trip, T'Pol, your with me." He hopped out of his chair and walked to the turbo lift, followed closely by Trip and T'Pol. When they were all in, he order the lift to go to an already fueled and ready shuttle pod. 

Archer nodded after digesting the information. "Do you know of anyone that would want to harm them?"

"I do not." T'Pol said bluntly. 

"I guess we're about to find out," Lieutenant Reed commented, from his station at tactical, in his British accent.

**On The Planet**

The three split up, in hopes of finding the survivor faster. Trip and T'Pol went to the right, while Archer went to the left. 

As they rounded a corner, they could hear a moan followed by the movement of some debris. T'Pol quickly pulled out her tricorder and scanned the area. She nodded her confirmation that their survivor was under there. With a silent gesture to Trip, they were able to lift the debris off of him, which had been discovered afterwards. 

"He is alive but unconscious. We need to get him to Enterprise as soon as possibility." T'Pol told Trip, in her 'Vulcan' voice (AN: if you didn't catch on, it means their monotone voice that they always speak in.). Trip nodded and very carefully picked him up. 

He was a very young Vulcan, Trip noted, probably fifteen, maybe sixteen. Well, that's what he looked like, anyway. He also could see that in his ruffled and very dirty black hair, the norm for all the Vulcan's Trip had seen, there were strikes of blonde, something he had never seen in a Vulcan. He thought perhaps it was something they had when they were younger; he had never seen a Vulcan this young before. 

There was also blood on his forehead, obviously from a beam or something he was buried under. His blood almost proved he was as Vulcan as T'Pol with its green properties, but it also had this red tint to it, hardly noticeable and most likely nothing, but it seemed weird to Trip.

Through all his pondering and thoughts, he maneuvered his way through the halls with T'Pol leading him. Archer was already at the shuttle pod, waiting for them. Obviously T'Pol had informed him of their 'find' and had gone back.

The trip back was quiet and boring, as the boy was in no immediate danger and nothing could be done from there. Well, with the exception of T'Pol cleaning and dressing his wound. 

"Interestin', isn' it," Trip stated, in his southern accent dripping in his voice. He had walked into the cabin, where they had put the boy so he could lie down, and had caught her staring at the same things he had noticed earlier. 

T'Pol just raised an eyebrow at him and said, "What is, Commander?"

"His hair, fer one."

T'Pol nodded, "Yes, I do not believed I have ever seen a Vulcan with this color of or in their hair." After a short pause, she said or rather asked, "You have never seen a Vulcan this young, have you?"

Trip's head shoot up in surprise, that wasn't a question he had expected. Then he shock his head, "No, all the Vulcans I've ever meet were round yer age or older. I guess it never occurred ta me-"

"That all Vulcans are children as well as humans." T'Pol interrupted him.

"Yea, sorta," Trip confused, sheepishly, and shrugged his shoulders. They stayed like that, in silence, for the remaining five or six minutes of the trip. 

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Do you know who the boy is yet? Or where he was? And has anyone been able to put the two chaps together yet?

Please R/R and tell me. And if you don't know, I'm sure you'll figure it out from the next few chaps.

Also for anyone who hasn't read any of my stories before, I always put the summary of this chapter at the top for anyone who likes to read the summaries. 


	3. Strange New World

Author's Note: I'm really sorry for not posting sooner. But you know, school, homework, lack of interest in typing, Christmas coming soon, and I have four sometimes five other people who use this computer so I just haven't been able to get on. But it's here now so I hope you like it. 

Summary: When the Vulcan boy wakes up, how will he act? And how will the officers take to him and his features?

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Chapter 3:

Strange New World

**Sickbay**

"So, doc, how's he doing?" Archer asked expectantly about the Vulcan boy. 

"He's just fine. I can wake him whenever." Doctor Phlox said, with his usual cheerfulness. 

"Do it." Archer ordered. 

Phlox obeyed by grabbing a hypospray and injecting him in the arm. The boy's eyes fluttered as he regained consciousness. Archer, Phlox, T'Pol, and Trip all gathered around him as Archer said, "I'm Captain Jonathon Archer. This is Doctor Phlox, Sub-Commander T'Pol, and Commander Tucker my chief engineer. And you are?"

After a brief pause, in which Archer feared he couldn't understand English, the boy said, "I am Selack. Where am I?" His Vulcan composer barely faltered during his statement. 

"You're aboard the Earth vessel Enterprise. We received your distress call and rescued you from the planet. Do you remember what happed?" Archer answered. 

"Or who attacked you?" Trip added, getting a look form Selack, but it was quickly covered up.

Selack shook his head no and told them, "No, I only knew that we were attacked. The last thing I remember was that I was meditating when I heard the sound of an explosion. When I went to see what it was, I was knocked unconscious by something. Then I woke up here."

Archer nodded, but before he could say anything, Phlox said, "Selack needs to rest now, Captain. Perhaps you could finish this discussion later."

"Right. Selack, perhaps you would like to join myself and my officers here for dinner?"

"I would… appreciate that." Selack nodded his head in thanks and watched them as they walked out before lying down. 

**Captain's Mess**

Selack took his appointed seat, across from the Captain yet next to Trip (as the Commander had instructed him to call him) and T'Pol. Trip, who had gotten much better at being able to semi-read Vulcan's (at least T'Pol's) emotions, could swear that Selack looked extremely uncomfortable. It wasn't the Captain, but T'Pol, and maybe even him a little, that was the cause of it. That would sure explain the look he gave Trip in Sickbay. 

When the food arrived, Selack gave an interesting look at Trip's prime rib, not unlike T'Pol's first reaction to them. As a matter-o-fact, he was a lot like T'Pol, not just the Vulcan thing, but also his personality in general. 

Trip caught his look at his ribs and sarcastically asked, "Ya want some?" Trip smile broadened when Selack (if possible) straightened up even more in his seat. Even Archer couldn't help smiling. 

"I wont have to… eat that, will I?" Selack's curiosity dripped in that question, something even more unVulcan like than his features to the humans. That statement earned him a laugh from the other two men, something most Vulcan would be offended by, but not Selack.

"No, of course not. We know Vulcans are vegetarians." With that, the last of the food came out, and to Selack's relieve, it was two Vulcan salads.

When dinner was over, Selack had thanked the Captain for having him, something that was not usual Vulcan behavior; something they almost expected from him now. Then he excused himself and went back to Sickbay, Phlox still wanting to keep an eye on him for a day or so. 

"Well, that 'bout the politest, weirdest, and youngest Vulcan I've ever met." Stated Trip not too long after Selack left. 

"The polite side I've got no problem with after dealing with so many Vulcan's who have none. No offence T'Pol." Archer cringed, not meaning to insult her or her people (well…).

"None taken." T'Pol said with a raised eyebrow and in her usual monotone voice. 

"Yea, it's just… I don't know, creepy. I mean have ya noticed his hair. Not even T'Pol thinks she's seen a Vulcan like that. His stance, attitude, it ain't like any Vulcan I've ever met." Trip said, in his southern accent, and shrugged his shoulders. 

"The Commander is correct, Selack is a most peculiar Vulcan." T'Pol said, getting a surprised looked from Trip, mostly from agreeing with him. 

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I've been trying to get them to be suspicious of Selack; it just hasn't worked till now. So I hope it doesn't sound to lame. Please R/R.


	4. The End of The Beginning

Author's Note: Since it took me so long to get the last chapter in and I had a lot of extra time and a very tired family, I decided to post this chap early. 

This chapter is mostly just going to combine the last chap to the next, but it has to be in here. So, here it. Enjoy!

Summary: Selack and Trip, in a shuttle pod, for half and hour, talking. My what interest discussions must come from that.

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Chapter 4:

The End of The Beginning

**The Next Day**

"If we leave now, we can arrive at Vulcan within one week," Captain Archer told Selack, who had just been released from Sickbay. 

"Actually, Captain, if it's alright with you, I don't want to go back to Vulcan."

"Are you sure about that, Selack? I mean where else would you go?" The Captain asked the 'desperate' Vulcan, though he showed no visible signs of that, the Captain could hear it in his voice. 

"If it's not too much trouble, sir, I would like to stay here. I can help out, I know a little about being an engineer, I also know a lot about astronomy and astrophysics. Furthermore I know much more about the region of space you are nearing more than even the Vulcans." Selack was practically pleading, if he wasn't Vulcan Archer was sure he'd be on the ground begging. 

If the rest of the plea didn't catch Archer's attention, the fact he knows more about this area of space than T'Pol certainly did. And even though he may have had his suspicions about this child, he was, after all, just that, a child. "Alright, you've got a deal. You can be my adviser, you can tell me the who's and what's of the area. And if you're such a great engineer, maybe Trip'll let you hang out around there as long as you don't disturb anyone." Archer said with a smile, as Selack, well as much as possible for a Vulcan, pleased, but confused by something. 

"I am not a 'great' engineer, I just know about engineering. But I thank you for letting me stay." With that, he bowed his head 'thank-you' and walked out of Archer's ready room. 

Almost two weeks later, things had gotten back to, well, what you could consider normal. Selack, like promised, was given his own permanent quarters and got settled in. He was able to advise Captain Archer of any threats, species, and anything else of interest that T'Pol or the Vulcan databanks could not. He also proved useful down in engineering during a crisis. He had gotten very used to the ship, his surroundings, and the crew; and them him. Now, he was even given permission to go on a survey for deuterium with Trip. 

As he rounded a corner on his way to engineering, he could hear;

"I don't understand way it wont work!" The southern accented voice said, and Selack immediately recognized as Trip's. 

"The manifolds are off by point 2-3 percent."

"What?" Trip said, as he whirled around to see the Vulcan boy sanding next to him. 'Damn, how do they do that?' Trip thought, then asked, "What does the manifolds bein' off have to do with the reactor going haywire?"

"The manifolds 'being off' are causing a disbalance in the plasma flow. Therefore making the reactor malfunction." Selack said in his Vulcan voice.

"Where'd ya learn all this?" Trip inquired. 

"I read a lot on warp mechanics and warp ship." Selack answered simply.

Trip gave him a smug grin and asked, "What d' need?"

"The Captain wants us to take a shuttle down to the planet to perform a more accurate scan for deuterium." Selack said without missing a beat. 

Trip nodded his head and asked one last question, "Now?" Selack nodded his head. With that, Trip gave out orders for who to do what while he was gone and the two walked to the shuttle bay. 

**Shuttle Bay**

"It'll be 'bout a half an hour before we get t' the planet surface." Trip announced to Selack. He leaned back in his chair after turning on the autopilot, while Selack just gave him a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," Selack said, just barely suppressing a smile. 

Trip Shook his head and smiled. "So, what d' think of Enterprise?" Trip asked trying to make small talk, knowing it probably wasn't going to go too far, Selack being Vulcan and all.

But, surprisingly, he replied with, "It is a fascinating ship. I have been aboard a few Vulcan Vessels and they perform… efficiently. But a human ship runs mostly on instinct as I have noticed most humans do." Trip raised an eyebrow, imitating him from earlier, earning him a shocked glare, which of course was suppressed quickly. 

"So, uh, have ya ever been aboard a human ship before now?" Trip asked, both to continue the conversation and out of curiosity. 

"Once, when I was very young." He replied without looking at Trip. After a long period of silence, Selack inquired, "May I ask you a… personal question, Commander?"

"Sure," Trip said, with some hesitation, and shrugged his shoulders.

"What is your… relationship with-" Selack practically lost his nerve and wanted dismiss the question. Thinking it wasn't his place to ask.

"With?" Trip urged him, not really knowing if he wanted to hear the answer.

"With… the Sub-Commander?" Selack finished, looking him square in the face (I did say face, not eyes).

Trip's reaction went something along the lines of: Shocked, to a wide spread grin, quickly replaced by anger at the question, back to amusement to what it was implying. Selack, how ever, just sat there watching the display of emotions in a period of a few seconds. 

When Trip finally got his voice back, he seemed both amused and embarrassed, and perhaps a little angry. "Ah, um, what d' ya mean by that?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was merely wondering." Selack said swiftly, then mumbled, "Never mind." 

Trip was highly entertained by his reaction. He had _never _seen a Vulcan behave that way. He thought it was the age that their total emotional control came with puberty or something. "We're friends, well more like co-workers." 

"You like her don't you." Selack, just on the verge of cracking into a huge smile, teased. He said it not as a question but a statement. 

"I do not! You have nothing to base that on!" Trip said, defensively. 

"Yes I do. I have noted that when humans are attracted to someone of the opposite sex, they tend to tease or argue with them about trivial things. Also, when accused with liking them, humans tend to become defensive and deny it. Just like you, Commander." Selack said in his best Vulcan matter-o-fact voice without laughing. 

Trip, on the other hand, just throw his hands in the air and said, "Fine, I obviously can't win with a Vulcan. I may or may not like 'er, but I wouldn't tell ya even if I did. I'm going int' the back t' check on the supplies. Call me when we're almost there." And on that note, Trip, who looked distinctly embarrassed, walked into the back leaving behind a very smug looking Vulcan.

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So how was it? And the Shuttle Pod conversation, that wasn't too lame was it? R/R and tell me what you think.


	5. The Middle

Author's Note: I really appreciate all the reviews (but that doesn't mean to stop). There was some confusion to a comment I made in my last A/N, I already have the first eight or nine chapters written, I'm just typing them out, not writing them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. 

Summary: What happens when the mystery of the Vulcan by is discovered? How and why?

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Chapter 5:

The Middle

**On The Planet**

For almost twenty minutes, the two had been down on the planet, working; scanning, looking, and doing anything to avoid any unnecessary talking. 

Suddenly Selack said, "Commander, if I offended you in any way with my question about T'Pol, please tell me."

"No, no, kid. It wasn't yer fault. It's… it's just you were right on the money when ya said that. I guess… I was just unprepared." Trip told him. Selack just flashed a quick smile and nodded his head soberly. "What?"

Selack shook his head. "It is nothing. It's just… my father used to call me kid. I…" Selack just shook his head. 

"What happened t' 'im?" Trip immediately regretted asking afterward. 

Selack took a deep breath, he looked like he was on the brink of crying, but, like all emotions, he covered it up. "He died, shortly before I went to the monastery."

"I'm sorry." Trip said, obviously trying to comfort him, but he had no idea how weird that had just sounded to Selack. Selack just nodded and continued working. After along pause, Trip asked, "What was he like? Your dad?"

Selack looked over at him, eyes actually shinning from the tears forming. "He was a very skilled engineer. He taught me all I know."

"That explains a lot."

Selack nodded, then continued, "To be honest, he was a lot like you in many ways."

"Well, he must have my hair," Trip teased, messing up Selack's hair, getting a weird expression from him. 

"You have no idea," Selack mumbled under his breath. "He had a fascination with the human race. It was were I got mine, as well. He even… occasionally eat meat. I, however, never learned to do that." Selack concluded, getting an amused looked from Trip.

"And yer mum?"

"She… is a lot like T'Pol. She is a scientist, because of her I became somewhat of a scientist myself. She, too, has a fascination with humans and worked with some before. Most other traits are Vulcan ones you are quite familiar with." Selack explain, "And you parents?" 

The next half hour passed much the same. Swapping info about one another, old stories that happened to them, basically they 'bonded'. By the time they left, they had more stable ground between the two of them. 

**Decon Chamber**

After having put on some kind of gel like substance, Dr. Phlox had allowed the two out but held Selack back to see how he was recovering from his earlier injuries. 

"Now this will just take a second," Phlox said in his usual cheerful voice, to his patient on the bio-bed. But his smile quickly turned to confusion when he looked at the results of the scan.

"Is there something wrong?" Selack asked the Doctor. 

"I'm not sure. These readings can't right." Phlox complained to himself, as he seriously considered hitting the console. 

Selack hoped off the boi-bed and walked over to Phlox to see what the results were. And they were exactly as he dreaded; his DNA registered as half Vulcan and half Human. He winced at what he was about to tell Phlox, how badly it could affect everything, yet how he knew this would happen sooner or later. "Doctor, I can explain."

This definably got the Doctor's attention, for he looked at him with an expectant expression and Selack knew he wanted it. "It is because, I… am half Vulcan and half… Human." He looked down as he stuttered though his explanation. He almost looked like a schoolboy caught doing something he shouldn't have. Then he lifted his head up with determination in his eyes. "You can't tell anyone. And I mean no one, not even the Captain, it would jeopardize everything." Emotion filled his voice and Phlox could hear the desperation. 

"You have my word as a doctor. Now what would it be jeopardizing?" Phlox inquired. 

Selack sighed, he would eventually have to tell. "I'm… I'm from your future. About 21 years. You see my great, great granddaughter in the 28th century is of vital importance to ending the Temporal Cold Wars. Now, obviously, I can't have a granddaughter without parents to have me, so the Suliban in this time are trying to keep my parents from ever getting together. People, I believe you know Daniels," Phlox nodded, very interested with the story, "He brought me to their time, briefed me, and sent me back to this time to help protect my parents at all costs, without my own death." Selack paused, most likely done telling him anything more without being asked.

"So may I assume if you came, well, asked to stay aboard, than your parents are here?" Phlox asked, getting a nod from Selack. "Then may I also assume, that since T'Pol is the only Vulcan aboard, she is your mother?" Again Selack nodded his confirmation. "Then your father would have to be someone on the crew, who is human, and has fair skin and blonde hair. Well that narrows it down to about a, oh, quarter of the crew. I don't assume your going to tell me, are you?" As Phlox silently hypothesis, Selack just sighed. "Well, then," Phlox continued, "Just out of curiosity, if you're half human, do you ever smile, or laugh, or show any emotion at all?"

Selack smile broadly at that. "Yea, of course. I take much after my father, I just don't show it when I'm pretending to be full Vulcan."

Phlox should have seen this before, the fact he was half human, and that was nagging him since. "One last question. How come I couldn't detect the human DNA earlier?"

Again, Selack smiled, amused by both the answer and his curiosity. "In between briefing and departure, I was injected with something that would mask my human DNA. Apparently something in the mines must have reversed to effects."

The Doctor till looked confused by something but did not say anything. "You want to know why they would have me arrive and be attacked at the monastery, don't you?" Phlox nodded, "That was not intentional. I was supposed to take a shuttle to meet up with Enterprise, but the Suliban found out I was there and attacked."

"Why did you lie about not knowing who attacked?" Phlox asked. 

"I didn't want anybody to know. Besides some one like me really wouldn't know about them. And besides it would in title an ever more detailed search and I couldn't have that, you might have found something you shouldn't have." Selack finished the conversation on that note. A few minutes later the Doctor dismissed him and again promised not to tell. 

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If anyone thinks that reveling his secret was a mistake, you will understand why later. 

Please R/R I still want to hear want you have to say. 

And I'm sorry about the format, I'm trying to fix it but only my other computer let's me do it the right way and for some reason I did them on this one. Plus my disks aren't letting me put anything on them, so for the moment you'll have to be patient. Thanks.


	6. The Second Difference

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate that people are actually reading this. This chapter may seem kind of weird and a little unnecessary, but it really is. Mostly it's going to connect the last chap to the next few. So bare with me. Enjoy!

Summary: While investigating an abandoned planet, Trip and T'Pol are trapped. Will Enterprise be able to save them in time? (Is it just me or does that sound like it needs one of the over-paid, over-dramatic narrators from Batman?)

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Chapter 6:

The Second Difference

A week later, Enterprise found herself at an old planet. It appeared to have been abandoned long ago, scans showed old, collapsed caverns, destroyed and/or decaying buildings, no plant or animal life, and no water sources. Archer not wanting to miss out on even a dead culture, decided to send an away team to investigate. 

Once down there, the four split up into two teams: Trip and T'Pol and Hoshi and Selack. Trip and T'Pol headed towards some of the caverns, while Hoshi and Selack went to study some of the ruins.

"Hey, uh, T'Pol?" Trip asked her, suddenly. 

"Yes?" She replied looking at him. 

"'Bout the kid, Selack. What d' ya thing of 'im?" 

"He is a most interesting Vulcan child." T'Pol flatly replied. 

"Yea, that's fer sure." Trip mumbled under his breath. "I mean…" Trip was cut off when an explosion caused the cave to collapse on him. 

**About 5km away**

"Did you hear that?" Ensign Sato asked her partner, Selack. 

"Yes. It sounded much like an," Selack replied cutting himself off. The two looked at each other for a split second before Hoshi grabbed her communicator. She tried both Trip and T'Pol with no luck, before hailing Enterprise.

"Sir, we've lost communication with the Commander and Sub-Commander!" Hoshi yelled over the loud explosion and earthquake caused by it.

"Hoshi, I want you and Selack to get back now! It's a clocked ship and we my need both of your help to figure out who they are." A shocked Hoshi and Selack, whose eyebrow was raised, looked at each other. After a silent debate they ran back to the shuttle. 

Selack, immediately, activated the thrusters and took off. In flight, Hoshi noticed he was pushing some unnecessary buttons before, "Captain," Selack said into the ships communications. "The ship is bearing 2-3 mark 4."

"Got it," Malcolm said to him before a bright explosion marked its destruction.

"That was a Suliban ship wasn't it?" Hoshi inquired.

"The Suliban? Who are they?" Selack countered, playing innocent.

Hoshi, not thinking he would lie about that, decided to ignore her suspicions and dropped the matter simply by shaking her head saying, "Never mind."

Selack asked her to run a quick sweep for their life signs, as he took his own scans. He already knew what he had to do with them. 

"I can't find them," Hoshi said, on the verge of tears and Selack knew she thought they were dead. 

Selack knew better, so he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We will find them." Selack said, resisting the urge to smile and try to make her that much more comfortable. Hoshi simply nodded. 

**Sickbay**

The Doctor had given the two a clean bill of health, letting Hoshi leave so she could go help find her friends. Selack, however, remained behind to discuss everything with the Doctor. 

Selack was pacing mindlessly across the room mumbling, "This wasn't supposed to happen either. The Suliban must have found out about my mother and I being on the planet."

"And your father," Phlox added, delighted that he got a shocked look from Selack, but he said it in a very toneless way. "I matched your DNA to all the male crew aboard Enterprise, his was the closest match. Commander Tucker is your father isn't he." Phlox stated rather than asked.

Selack had to laugh at that, "My father always said you where very resourceful, I guess I have to give you that."

They remained silent for a moment until Phlox asked something that was weighing heavily on his mind. "You don't think they're…. dead, do you?"

A question that hardly seemed to fit Phlox's usual optimistic personality, but Selack choose to be the optimistic one. "No, I know they're not dead. They can't be."

"And how do you know that?" Phlox inquired. 

"Because," Selack said with a huge smile, "I haven't disappeared yet." 

That comment was enough to brighten Phlox's sprit, allowing him to smile. "I guess you're right."

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Please R/R and tell me what you think. 

You know, I bet none of you would have ever guessed it was Trip who was his father. 


	7. The Beginning of Understanding

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming. Any way, this chap's kind of 'on the planet' point of view and the next one will be the ship's at the same time. If you like having one chapter on the planet and the next on the ship of things happening at the same time, review and tell me because it might make it easier for me to write as well. 

Summary: Trip and T'Pol are trapped in a cavern after a cave in, with minimum supplies. Will they make it out in time?

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Chapter 7:

The Beginning of Understanding

**On the Planet**

The dust hadn't quit settled yet, causing Trip to cough. He pushed off some rubble that had fallen on him, then he quickly checked himself over to see if he had sustained any injuries when the cavern collapsed. Besides a couple of cuts and bruises here and there, he was fine. Then he looked around at his surroundings; the opening was closed off and rocks and dust filled the area. 

He found his communicator next to him, but he couldn't seem to reach Enterprise. They were either out of range, which wasn't likely since they wouldn't leave without them, or something was interfering with his communicator. 

A low moan knocked Trip out of his thoughts and reminded him of his partner. "T'Pol!" He shouted loud enough to be heard but not enough to cause another cave in. He started to move some of the rubble out of the way. After a few minutes, he found a slim, female body. "T'Pol. T'Pol can you hear me?" Trip asked, shacking her slightly while checking her pulse, relived it was still pretty strong. 

T'Pol stirred and opened her eyes. "Commander?" She said in a hushed, scratchy voice. 

"Don't try t' move, I don't know how badly you're hurt." Trip said when T'Pol tried to sit up. Trip notice some kind of green liquid on T'Pol's side, then he realized it was blood. "Yer bleedin'." T'Pol looked at her side as well, and saw that he was indeed correct. "Here." Trip ripped off some of his shirt and made it into a crude dressing for her wound. 

When he was finished, T'Pol could see that he was worried, not just about her and not for himself, but something else. "What is it, Commander?" 

Trip looked away and sighed. When he finally looked back, he said, "We've lost contact with Enterprise. It must be the material the cavern is made of, so if we can't get a signal out, they most likely can't scan us in here. Plus, from the cave in, we're stuck in here. And…" Trip obviously didn't want to say this but he knew he had to. "We only have enough food for two, maybe three days." T'Pol nodded, but immediately regretted it when an excruciating amount of pain surged through her body.

Trip had managed to stop the bleeding and give her something to eat and drink, while completely ignoring his own needs. 

"How is it?" Trip asked when T'Pol took a bit of his 'cooking'. T'Pol answered with a raised eyebrow. "Alright, so I'm no gorma chief, big deal." Trip said sarcastically, almost laughing when T'Pol lowered her head to keep him from seeing her reaction. But Trip could have sworn he'd seen a hint of a smile on her face before she lifted it back up, stone faced and all. 

They sat silently eating for a moment before Trip said, "Can I ask ya a question about Vulcans?"

T'Pol raised her eyebrow, clearly trying to determine if it was going to be a stupid remark or a thought out question. Then she nodded her head, a sign for him to ask.

Trip took a deep breath before asking the thing that had been bugging him for a while about the Vulcan race. "I understand Vulcans want t' be logical and all, but I never understood why they have t' get rid of their emotions."

T'Pol carefully thought about that for a moment. "We do have emotions, we simply suppress them. As for why, millennia ago we were a very savage race. Wars, killing, much like your world, but worse. It was our emotions that made us that way. By controlling them and devoting our lives to logic we were able to eliminate the savagery." Trip nodded, able to understand that, but he just couldn't seem to picture the Vulcan race savages, or things that happened on Earth any worse than they were. 

Again, they were silence until, T'Pol broke it by asking, "Commander, may I ask you something about humans?"

Trip shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Sure."

"Why do humans follow their curiosity so blindly? For example, your need to explore space."

"Well, I wouldn't say blindly, not exactly," Trip sighed, "I guess we explore 'cause… we're a curios race. It's in our genes, we just gotta." Trip shrugged. "But, I guess, if ya have t' ask, then ya'll never understand." T'Pol simply nodded, lot in thought. She knew there was a lot about humans she didn't understand, especially Trip, but in time, she hoped to. 

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Please R/R. Any suggestions, comments, ideas, or creative criticism are welcome but no flames please (not that I've received any). Merry Christmas, I hope you get everything you want. 


	8. Truth Can Be Found in the Strangest Plac...

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I took some of your advice and fixed chapter's six and seven though it's nothing major.

Now just to confuse you guys just that much more, this chapter is going to still be Trip and T'Pol's perspective and is starting just a few minutes or so after the last chapter. Chapter 9 will be Enterprise's perspective at the same time as chaps 7 and 8 are. Everyone still with me? Well, I hope you get it when you read the next chapter. 

Summary: Trip and T'Pol are still stuck in a cave with limited supplies; will they be rescued in time or at all?

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Chapter 8:

Truth Can Be Found in the Strangest Places

Trip had managed to make a small fire and help T'Pol sit up. She was sitting behind the fire, starring blankly at it. But Trip had been starring at her. 

T'Pol had opened her eyes and saw what Trip was doing. When she looked over at him, he shook his head in order to get out of his 'daydream'. "Is there something you need, Commander?"

"Not'in," Trip said with his boyish grin. 

"What is it?" T'Pol practically ordered. 

"Nothin', really. It's just… I don't know. Watchin' ya… do whatever is interestin'." Trip replied, sheepishly. 

"I was meditating." T'Pol corrected, almost amused. 

"I was wonderin', why do ya do that?" Trip asked, his curiosity obvious in his question.

"Meditate?" With Trip's nod she continued. "It allows Vulcans to better control their emotions. Suppressing them requires mental discipline."

Trip thought about that for a moment. When he looked up he asked, "Since we're stuck down here for a while, do ya think you could teach me t' meditate?" He had a hopeful glint in his eyes and almost looked like a kid again, something T'Pol couldn't say no to. 

She nodded and began to explain the basics to meditation. Trip listened like a wide-eyed child listening to one of his favorite bedtime stories. 

He did everything she said, and within about two hours Trip had mastered it, well at least the basics. When they had finished, Trip gave his thanks. She nodded her head and after a silent moment she asked, "Why did you want me to teach you this?" 

T'Pol had obviously not bought the afore mentioned boredom, so Trip replied, "You said it helps you t' control your emotions, so I thought if I learned, it would help me to keep for becoming so hot headed. That way I wouldn't get into so many fights with ya." Trip shrugged sheepishly, clearly embarrassed by his answer. 

T'Pol, however, was touched by it, though she would never show it. But Trip could see through her Vulcan mask and he knew that he had said something right. They sayed like that for a while, silent and unsure of what to do next. 

After a few hours, they had decided to get some sleep. They still couldn't reach Enterprise and not having much sleep in the past two days, they both agreed it would be good for them. 

Trip sat on one side while T'Pol was on the other, since she complained her nasal injection was starting to ware off and he smelled bad. 

Trip could see she was shivering, since they couldn't get the fire going again and they had no blankets it had gotten very cold in there. He stood up and walked over to her, then sat down next to her. He draped his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "Better?" He asked quietly. 

T'Pol acknowledged his presence by looking at him and answered his question with a weary nod. He held her tighter and allowed her to lay her head on his shoulder as she fell asleep. He watched her, as he had begun to a lot lately. He watched the way her chest raised and fell in a steady pattern as she breathed in and out. His eyelids grew heavy and he too fell asleep. 

**The Next Morning**

The next morning passed quite uneventfully. They still couldn't reach Enterprise and their food was running dangerously low, but they were able to start the fire again. 

T'Pol had been meditating for the past hour. Trip had tried but there was too much on his mind. Instead, he was watching her again. He had been thinking a lot about her lately, ever since the conversation he had had with Selack he had really started to re-examine his feelings for her. 

He knew that after all this time they had spent together on the ship, he has a great respect and loyalty for her. He also knew that under all his feelings for Vulcans in general, he was very willing to consider her a friend and admit to that fact that she means a lot to him. And, maybe on some level, he was even attracted to her. But did he have 'feelings' for her? That was the big question that had been on his mind for a while. 

His eyes never left her for almost three hours while she meditated and he thought. 

When she had finished meditating, she looked up to she Trip starring at her with a far a way look in his eyes. She raised an eyebrow when he shook his head and noticed she was looking at him. The terror in his eyes made her smile, though she quickly covered it up, but not before he saw it. 

"Did you just smile?" Trip asked as a huge, boyish grin grew over his face. 

"I did not." T'Pol stated in a defensive tone. 

"Oh, yes you did." Trip said, victoriously. T'Pol raised her eyebrow and turned away. "Ah, come on. You're just sore 'cause I'm right and you're wrong. Just say it and I promise I wont tell."

T'Pol whipped around at that comment. "Are you saying that of I do not… 'say it', then you will tell everyone that I…" She cut herself off, not wanting to say it. 

"Yep," Trip said, triumphantly. 

T'Pol sighed and gave in. "Fine, I did…smile."

"Thank-you." Trip gave her a sincere and sheepish smile. 

Just then they could her a noise against the wall. The same wall that was created in the cave in. "Do you hear that?" Trip asked.

"Yes, it sounds much like a phaser." T'Pol responded. They looked at each other and hoped that they knew who was about to break through. 

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Please R/R. I hoped you liked it.

Oh, I'm so evil. I just love ending with cliffhangers.


	9. Storms and Excuses

Author's Note: Here's the Enterprise perspective, I hope I got the way they would do this right.

Summary: When a storm hinders their search, what else will?

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Chapter 9:

Storms and Excuses

"Well?" An inpatient Archer asked in an irritated voice. After they were sure their attackers were gone, they were going to turn their attention toward the planet when a plasma storm hit. 

"I can't get anything with this storm, sir," Hoshi said, frustrated. 

What about taking a shuttle down? Looking for them ourselves?" The Captain said in a desperate voice. 

"With the storm, I wouldn't recommend it, sir," Mayweather answered from his spot at Helm. 

"What's the rest of the bad news?" Archer asked Malcom after seeing his drop and become even more concerned. 

"If they survived the attack, they would only have enough food an water for two maybe three days. And that's stretching, sir." Malcom cautiously answered his distraught Captain. 

The turbolift doors opened, allowing Selack to come into the bridge. "Captain, I've finished downloading the data I got from my earlier scans of the planet."

"Good, give it to Mr. Reed." Archer said, not seeming to care. 

Selack nodded and walked over to Malcom to hand him the PADD. Malcom looked it over and said, "It matches the attack pattern used at the monastery, huh, whoever they are." 

"Well, let's try to find out. Selack, take a good look at that data and see if you can think of anyone who uses that attack pattern." Archer ordered and Selack nodded, took the PADD and walked off. "Keep scanning, I want to know the minute we can get a shuttle down there. And Hoshi, contact Starfleet." At that, he walked into his ready room. 

"I'm sorry, sir. I can't reach Starfleet." Hoshi said over the comm., to Captain Archer.

"That's ok." The Captain said, now very frustrated with life.

**Sickbay**

A very frustrated and troubled Vulcan walked through Sickbay's doors. When the Doctor spotted him, his smile was quickly replaced by a concerned frown. "What's the news?" 

"Well besides the fact that a plasma storm is keeping us from being able to scan for them or take a shuttle down; I'm in trouble."

The Doctor looked confused by that. "What do you mean?"

"Well you see, I…" Selack started but was cut off when Malcom walked in. 

"Mr. Reed, what brings you here?" Phlox said, regaining as much of his optimism as possible.

"I was burnt by an energy conduit when I was helping out in Engineering." Malcom answered. Then he noticed Selack was there and asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be looking over the data you collected." He finished as Phlox started to heal the burns on his hand. 

Selack thought quickly, trying to think of a good excuse. 

"I wanted to give him one last check up. Head injuries can be quit tricky with Vulcans." Phlox said saving Selack.

Malcom nodded and when Phlox finished he asked, "If you would like, I could give you a hand with them. If he's done here, of course." Malcom asked. And with Phlox's nod, the two left. On the way, Selack frantically tried to think up excuses. 

**Bridge**

They had been looking over the data for the past hour. They tried matching the patterns and such with all their information on all hastile and non-hastile races. And so far it hadn't gone well. 

"It doesn't match anything in our databanks." Malcom sulked. "Do you recognize it?" He asked Selack in a frustrated tone. 

They had looked through everything but couldn't find a thing. Selack had made sure of that. He merely shook his head no, answering Malcom's question with a lie. 

Malcom sighed, deep in thought. "Did you get any scans of the ship when you found its location?" Malcom turned toward him, giving him a suspicious look. "By the way how did you find it?"

"I did not have time to get any accurate scans of the ship. At least none that would be of any use." Selack answered in a cool manor. "As for how I found it, I used the scorch marks on the ship to determine how it was moving and its angle. Then by using the same marks and the intensity of the phasers, I was able to determine how far away it was. Therefor finding the sector it was in." Selack finished receiving an impressed look from Malcom.

Malcom sighed in frustration and shook his head. He mumbled, "This is going no where," as he ran a hand through his hair.

**The Next Morning**

"The storms moving. I think it safe enough for us to take a shuttle down, sir." Travis Mayweather said to the Captain.

"Good. Malcom, you're with me. Hoshi contact the Doctor and Selack and tell them to meet us in the Shuttle Bay." Archer ordered as he walked to the turbo lift. "You have the bridge, Hoshi." He finished as the doors closed. 

"Aye, sir." Hoshi said, absent minded. Then once the realization of what he said hit her, she inquired, "Sir?" 

Travis just chuckled and continued with his business. 

**On the Planet**

The planet went from having a lush, rain forest look, to a desert with craters in some places and stayed the same in others. 

They had been trekking around, trying to find the caverns that Trip and T'Pol were in when the attack happened. About twenty minutes later they had found the cavern they believed they were in. Archer tried haling them as Selack and the Doctor scanned for them, neither having any success. 

"It may be the material the cavern is made of that is blocking our sensors and communicators." Selack suggested. "It appears to be an unknown alloy." He concluded after a few more scans of it.

"Do you think our phasers will be able to break through it?" Malcom hypothesized. 

"They might." Selack answered.

"Lets try it." Captain Archer said and the three of them took out their phasers as Phlox backed off. 

They all had them on maximum setting for almost ten minutes before they were able to break through. Once they did, the Doctor had immediately ran in to check on them. When they all got in, they discovered that the two were standing there, looking a little worse for ware, but alright. 

"Finally, I thought you'd never find us." Trip said, lightening the mood, allowing all those who laughed to do so. 

After the doctor checked on T'Pol's wound and found it was well enough to travel without much fixing, they headed off to the shuttle. 

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You know the drill, R/R please. 


	10. Another Reason

Author's Note: I've been personally going over these and have gotten my old beta reader back, so I hope there aren't anymore mistakes in grammar or spelling. And please tell me if there are any.

Summary: When Trip starts to feel something for somebody, who does he go to for advise? And how does that somebody feel?

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Chapter 10:

Another Reason

**Sickbay**

"Well, T'Pol's wound seems to be doing just fine. Thanks to Trip, he seemed to be able to stop the bleeding and dress the wound before any infection or major loss of blood occurred. She should be out of here by tomorrow." Phlox said in his usual optimistic, cheerful voice. 

They all had been checked in decon and T'Pol's wounds were taken care of. She was asleep at the moment, worn out from her wounds and the trip back. They had finally been able to kick Trip out about thirty minutes ago. He was, hopefully, back at his quarters, getting cleaned up and resting, under 'Doctor's Orders'. 

Phlox was briefing the Captain on her medical status. Archer nodded, approving that as a good enough explanation. "Very well, Doctor. Inform me of any changes." With that last order, Archer left Sickbay, leaving the Doctor to go about his business. 

**The Next Day**

Trip had been standing outside T'Pol's quarters for the past fifteen minutes. He couldn't decide if he was up to what he had originally come to do. 

'A thank you would a least be appropriate,' Trip thought to himself as he paced outside her door, likely at this time of day not many people come down this way. 'What if she's asleep or meditating, I don't want to disturb her.' Then he finally stopped right in front of her door. 'Now or never.' Then he pushed the 'doorbell' to her room. 

She had heard him pacing outside her door for sixteen minutes and forty-two seconds, and wondered when he would knock or leave. She walked over to the door and opened it, knowing full well who it was. 

"Hi," Trip greeted with an awkward grin. "Uh, I just came t' see how, uh, how you were feelin'."

"I feel much better, thank-you." T'Pol said, but not as coldly as Trip might have thought. 

"Uh, can I come in?" Trip asked feeling uncomfortable standing outside. 

T'Pol nodded and moved aside. When he stepped in, he noticed how plain and bare it seemed to be. She had a bed, desk, dresser and such, like everybody else, but she didn't seem to have any pictures or anything like that, but he did notice the abundance of candles and the occasional trinket, most likely from Vulcan, she had. 

"Is there something you wanted, Commander?" She asked, not in an irritated voice but more of a curious one. 

"Uh, yea, um, I… I, uh, just wanted to, uh, say thanks, you know, for teachin' me how t', uh, meditate." Trip said, stumbling over words and stuttering. He didn't understand why, all of the sudden, he seemed to get tongue-tied, around her. He's never done that before. 

"Your welcome, Commander." T'Pol asked with a raised eyebrow, for she, too, had noticed the weird behavior he was displaying. 

"Yea, um, I, uh, I should probably go. I, uh, I have a… a shift in a few minutes. Uh, I, uh, yea, um, I'll just go." Trip stuttered and walked out the door, leaving behind a bewildered Vulcan. 

Once Trip was outside her room, he muttered, "Stupid, stupid…" Each 'stupid' followed by a thud on the wall, coming from his head meeting it. "I can't believe a just got tongue-tied in front of T'Pol. No, from talking to her." He whimpered and hit his head one last time before heading to Engineering.

**Engineering**

Today was the day Selack worked down in engineering and Trip was thankful for that. He was the only person, even if he was a Vulcan, Trip would feel at all comfortable talking about this with. 

"Yea, uh, Selack, could you come and give me a hand with the energy conduit?" Trip asked from the shaft he was about to enter. Selack obediently walked over and crawled in. 

"What appears to be the problem?" Selack asked the engineer. 

"The problem is, I think I'm fallin' for T'Pol." Trip said, but Selack couldn't tell if he was upset with that or scared of it. 

So he decided to find out his own way. "How does that have anything to do with the energy conduit?"

Trip sighed and rolled his eyes. "Nothin'. The conduits are fine, I just needed to talk t' ya."

"Hmmm, I see. About, T'Pol, correct?" Selack said in a know-it-all manor. 

"Yea. Before you came, I knew I considered her a respected colleague and maybe a friend. But once you said everything 'bout how I liked her, I started to think about it and… then, some time on the planet, it just hit me… I… I like her as much more than one." 

"I see. And that's a problem?" Selack said, listening to everything, while trying not to get sick over the fact he was talking about his parents; then there was the other fact, if this didn't go right, he wouldn't exist. 

"Yes! No… I don't know. I mean on one hand there's regulations, but we are technically the same rank and since she's not Starfleet so it doesn't really count. Then there's also the fact she's a Vulcan and I'm a human. It just doesn't happen. And how do I know she even likes me? She probably thinks I'm an idiot, after the way I acted earlier." Trip said so fast Selack almost didn't hear it all or wasn't able to comprehend fast enough before he started talking about something else. 

But he knew enough to get the main idea. "Have you ever asked her?"

"What?"

"You said the regulations could not hold you to anything because of your ranks. But you did say that you don't know if she likes you or not. Try asking her." Selack recommended. 

Trip sighed. "How can I do that if I keep getting tongue-tied around her?" 

"Calm down and just ask her. Say what comes to mind, not something you've rehearsed thousands of times." Selack advised him. 

"Right. Just breathe and relax. I can do that." He inhaled deeply, nodded his appreciation, and went to get out of the shaft. But just before he hoped out, he called back. "I think I will, right after my shift."

Selack stayed there for a few minute, though. He considered what he had just done. They said if he did anything that would majorly change the timeline himself, they would allow him to redo it. But he was still here, so he was supposed to give his father advise as to 'go out' or not 'go out' with his mother. So was he supposed to help get them together as well as keep them safe? This was getting to confusing. Not to mention disgusting. 

When Selack finally pulled himself out of the shaft, his shift was over, so he decided to go and eat something. On his way to the Mess Hall, he was stopped by a very perplexed looking T'Pol. 

"Excuse me, Sub-Commander, is there anything I can do for you?" Selack asked, innocently. 

"Yes. You have become a good friend of the Commander's, correct?" T'Pol inquired.

"I would say so." Selack answered. 

"Then perhaps you could help me with a problem. A half an hour ago, Commander Tucker came to speak with me."

"About?" Selack interrupted.

"Nothing of importance. But while there he seemed to stuttered a lot. He almost seemed nervous about something. I was wondering if you knew what about?" T'Pol asked, perplexed. 

"It is a natural human response. Then tend to stutter or become nervous when around… someone, usually of the opposite sex, that they like or are attracted to." Selack said, matter-o-factly, trying not to laugh at the look she almost made. 

"Are you implying that the Commander has romantic feelings for me?" T'Pol asked. 

'When you put it that way, it makes me sick to my stomach,' Selack thought, trying beyond words to keep for laughing or smiling. "Yes, I am." He looked at T'Pol and noticed she made the same look as Trip when he admitted to liking her. "Is that a problem?" He hoped not because he did not want to have to go through that discussion again; at least she wouldn't be all emotional. 

"I am not certain yet." She answered with a raised eyebrow and walked off. 

Selack couldn't decide weather it was appropriate to laugh or be sick. He looked around and made sure that the cost with clear before braking out in a huge smile and laughed, silently, to himself. 

**Captain's Ready Room**

Though Selack was mentioned in some logs, Starfleet still had not been told of his presence on the ship. Nor was the Vulcan High Command. Archer had tried to contact Starfleet a few times since Selack's arrival, but had not been able to reach them. And now, with the crisis over, it seemed like as good a time as any. He sat quietly in his ready room, debating over weather or not to do so. 

Selack was a strange Vulcan but still needed to go home, where he belongs. But there was something in his plea to stay that gave Archer the feeling that he had no home there. That he had nowhere to live, no one to live with, and nothing to live on. He also got the feeling he had something to do of the utmost importance. 

But what? Sabotage? To protect them? Was he like Daniels, here to keep the timeline intact? 

Then again, he could be a run away child and just doesn't what to go to confront his parents. 

But that feeling that he really doesn't belong here or there, wouldn't go away. Archer decided to wait and see. In away, he felt he owed it to him for some reason.

Yes, he would wait. At the moment, Selack was working extremely hard to prove himself, and he was doing a great job. But that didn't mean Archer would not keep an eye on him or that he hadn't from day one. 

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So does it seem to outright, no bad, or does it work ok with you guys? I want to know, so please R/R.

And the Archer part was something Afia gave me the idea to do. Afia had asked why Archer just let him stay aboard and not contact Starfleet or Vulcan, so this kind of explains that a little and might even make the story a little more interesting. I did add a few line between Archer and Hoshi, basically saying to contact Starfleet and that she couldn't reach them in chapter nine. But you don't have to read it to understand what's going on. 

As for Afia's comment on Selack telling Phlox his secret, which will be reviled later. 


	11. Discoveries

Author's Note: Some of the things, like conversations and such, in this chap between Trip and T'Pol, I have no actual experience in. So if something isn't right, a description or something, hang with me, all this stuff is from TV and other stories I've read.  
  
Summary: A 'mishap' in the turbolift could change Trip and T'Pol's relationship forever. Will it be for the good or bad? And when Malcom discovers something wrong with the data they collected, who will fingers be pointing at?  
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Chapter 11:  
Discoveries  
  
**A Turbolift**  
  
Trip was waiting outside the turbolift to go back to his quarters. He was still trying to muster up some courage to go and ask T'Pol out on a date. 'But what would we do. Have dinner together in the Mess Hall? Well, that could work. Or one of our rooms.' Trip thought as he waited.   
Trip was brought out of his thoughts, when the lift stopped and the doors opened. And there was T'Pol, standing in there. His face turned pale and that same feeling in the pit of his stomach returned.   
T'Pol looked up from her PADD and noticed he was just standing there. She also noticed the clammy, pale like look to his face. "Are you ill, Commander?"  
"Huh? Ah, no. I'm fine." Trip gave a forced smile and walked in. Then he called out his destination. They stood in an awkward silence for a few more minutes as Trip continued to gain his courage to ask her what he wanted to.  
"Computer, halt turbolift." Came from T'Pol before he could ask. "Commander, it has been brought to my attention that you may have romantic interest towards me. Is that correct?"  
Trip could not help laughing. What she had said did help to lighten the mood. Only now she knew his feelings but he had no idea was hers were. Trip was still smiling, especially at T'Pol's confused look. "I don't know how to answer that."  
"Then you do not feel that way toward me?" T'Pol more stated but phrased as a question.  
When Trip looked at her, he could see that that had... hurt her? Maybe he did know how she felt after all. He stepped closer, leaving a half a meter or so between them. He shook his head 'no' and said, with a smile, "No, I do have... romantic interests for you." He stepped closer, now only a few centimeters were between them, and he was relived she didn't back away.   
He looked into her eyes and she his. Neither one had any idea what they were doing, what had possessed them to do this. Nor what had changed from their constant bickering to them here, standing centimeters away from each other.  
They must have stood there for almost a minute, their eyes locked. When, "Commander, Sub-Commander, is something wrong? The lift hasn't moved for almost three minutes." Malcom said over the comm.   
They both broke their eye contact and back away, embarrassed. "Na, we're fine, Malcom. We, uh, were just... talking." Trip said in almost a disappointed voice.   
"Computer, resume." T'Pol ordered the computer once Trip had cut the comm. link. She regained her composure as she chastised herself for her moment of weakness. She had wanted to be touched by him, to be close to him, had wanted... she didn't want to finish the thought. She had felt something for him, something she had never experienced before, something she could not comprehend, something she still felt even as he walked out the turbolift doors.   
  
They stopped at Trip's deck a few seconds later. Embarrassed, he walked out without so much as a good-bye.   
'What was I thinking. I was about to KISS T'Pol. It was T'Pol for crying out loud!' Trip thought to himself as he walked on automatic to get back to his quarters. Even though his actions puzzled him, he still felt the same way as in the turbolift, with her. 'Oh my god, I am fallin' for 'er.'   
  
**Bridge, Tactical**  
  
Malcom had gone over and over the data collected, and something wasn't right, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. It was as though some of the scorch marks just couldn't have possibly had been made while the same ship was under attack.  
'That's it!' Malcom smiled victoriously at his new idea. His fingers immediately flow over his console as he tested his idea. With the patterns they used to attempt to stop the cloaked ship's firing and how many shots they got at the planet, he was able to determine their attack pattern and it was nothing like the data Selack collected. That either meant someone tampered with it or their scanners were flawed. Malcom ran a diagnostic on the Shuttle Pod's scanners but found nothing wrong with them.   
Meaning Selack tampered with the scans. But why? That was the important question. Even if Malcom didn't know the answer to that, he knew he had to tell the Captain what he had found out.   
  
**Captain's Ready Room**   
  
"Yes?" The Captain said, looking up to be greeted by Lieutenant Reed. "Lieutenant, is there something I can do for you?"  
"I have some more information on the data from the planet." Malcom said hesitate.   
"Yes," The Captain said, urging him on.  
Malcom looked down and sighed. When he looked back up he said, "I cross-checked the data Selack gathered against how many shots they took at the planet and how many times we hit them. The two don't match up, sir. They're close, but it doesn't fit with the way we hit them and how it would mess up their aim."  
"What are you saying, Malcom?" Archer asked, a little confused and upset.  
Malcom sighed, he liked the kid and he really didn't have real evidence saying it was him. "I had a diagnostic done on the shuttle sensors and they were fine." Malcom paused to let him digest that and at his look, he continued. "Meaning someone must have tampered with the data."  
"And Selack would be the main suspect, correct." Archer asked. Malcom just nodded. "We still need to know who attacked them. Use all data we have see if you can get the real attack pattern used. And don't let Selack know, just in case. But keep looking to see who tampered with the data."  
"Aye, sir." Malcom said and walked out.  
  
**T'Pol's Quarters**  
  
After Trip had thought things through, he knew he needed to talk to T'Pol. He had tried her quarters, but she wasn't there. After seeing that, he figured she must be on duty. The next shift was in a few minutes, so she'd be back any minute.   
He stood outside, very uncomfortable, waiting for her to return. Again, he had picked the time when most people were on duty and didn't come down this way. The silence was almost comforting, giving him the chance to clear his mind and think. But it also gave him an even more awkward and aggravating wait.  
When she did get there, he got an interesting look from her that made him smile widely. Actually, her presence was enough to make him smile and he fond he couldn't stop starring at her. The strange thing was, she returned his stare.   
After a minute of starring, Trip finally found his voice and said, well more stuttered, "Uh, could I, um, come in?"  
T'Pol nodded and opened the door. They walked in and the familiar spartan room filled his vision. At her gesture he sat down on the bed and continued to take in his new surroundings. "Is there something you wished to talk about?" T'Pol asked, knowing full well what it was.  
"You know what." Trip said and T'Pol looked at him expectantly. "What happened in the turbolift..."  
"Nothing happened." T'Pol flatly stated, cutting him off.   
"Something almost happened." Trip rebutted. He took a deep breath; he didn't want to lose his temper, which definably wasn't what he was here for. He rubbed his face and looked at her.   
Trip stood up and walked over to her, as she was still standing. He took her hands in his and she looked down at them. After a few seconds, he lifted her chin, making her look at him. He starred into her eyes and tried to see what she was feeling. "Commander..."  
"Trip," He corrected her.   
"Trip, what are you doing?" She asked, unsure, as her Vulcan control was starting to brake. Something about him suddenly seemed to make her lose her control and want to embrace the emotions, however illogical, it was true.   
Slowly, Trip moved his hand to caress her cheek, never braking their eye contact. Both were shocked be his actions, along with T'Pol's response, which was to not resist but to lean into it. She could feel his rapid breath against her neck and her heart pounding against her chest.   
As they continued to stare into each other's eyes, their faces proceed to get closer until they were only inches apart. Trip was able to see that her control over her emotions was slipping away, it was in her eyes.  
The next thing he knew, their lips met. After what seemed like an eternity, which in reality was only seconds, they broke apart.  
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So, that was ok? Not to wrong or completely away from real life? Well, please R/R and tell me which one it is.  
Second, I'm out of town till Sunday, so I wont be able to read any of the reviews until then and I might have to be a little late on posting chapter 12. But you will get, I promise. 


	12. Realizations

Author's Note: Finally, what you've all been waiting for! Selack tells Phlox why he told him. Oh. Everybody seems to want to know, though I think you're going to have to wait just a little longer. Uh, just read and find out if that completely confused you. I hope you like.

Summary: Will Selack be discovered or will he find a way to get out of that, too? And as Trip and T'Pol grow closer, how will that effect them on duty? 

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Chapter 12:

Realizations

**Bridge, Tactical**

Malcom had been working hard over night to have the data mixed together to make it what it should be. So far it had been a long and boring wait as the computer put them together and cross-referenced it to all races they knew. 

After an extensive wait, the computer finally had the answer. His face dropped and became pale as he read the conclusion. It had one word, _Suliban_. 

"Captain, I have the results. And I think you'll definably want to see them." Malcom said to the Captain, pacing the bridge.

Archer stood up and walked over to the tactical station. When he saw the results, he had a very similar reaction as Malcom did. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." 

"Why would someone want to hide this from us?" Archer whispered to Malcom. 

**T'Pol's Quarters**

Trip slowly became aware of his surroundings, though they seemed unfamiliar at first. The bare, plain walls and spartan room. He was still in T'Pol's quarters. 

It was then that he realized a body was in his arms. As he looked down, he saw T'Pol's head on his shoulder and her arm draping over his chest. She seemed so calm and peaceful as she slept. She was like an angle, a beautiful, gorgeous angle with her bronze skin that made her glisten. 

Her breathing was steady and regular. He could feel her breath on his chest and it burned were ever her breath touched. 

His chest, he looked down at himself and he was partly clothed. As last night slowly came back to him, he caressed her face and brought his hand to her ear. 

He could remember the last time he had done that. Their first mission, they had caught some bacteria or something. They had to go into decon and put that gel on each other. It would have been a little more… idyllic if they hadn't been arguing about, what were they arguing about. Trip smiled at the memory, it seemed so long ago and they had come so far in their relationship. 

He felt T'Pol stirring in his arms. He looked down at her and smiled. "Mornin', sleepy head."

T'Pol's confused, dreamy look wore off as she woke up, replaced by a half concerned, half-glad look. "'Sleepy head'?" T'Pol asked. 

Trip just smiled and shook his head. T'Pol had tried to regain her Vulcan composer, but not having meditated and that same feeling she had felt before in the turbolift and last night. She couldn't help but letting go and smiling with him. Trip saw this but chose not to comment. He felt this was a special gift for only him to see. 

He sighed as he realized that they both had earlier shift this morning. "What time is it?"

"0643 hours. We should be getting ready." T'Pol responded.

"Yea." Trip said with a nod. 'Well, at least I'm not stuttering any more.' Trip thought to himself as they shifted positions. She kissed him. Then she stood up and went to take a shower. 

**Captain's Ready Room**

"Captain, I've got the Vulcan High Command's response. Would you like me to put them through to your ready room?" Hoshi asked, uncertainly, through the comm.

"Yes, thank-you." Archer dully replied.

"Sir, may I ask why you're getting a response from the Vulcans?"

"No, it's not something I wish to discuss." Archer replied, this time more firmly.

"Aye, sir." Hoshi responded. 

The view screen switched from blank to an elder Vulcan. He had pure white hair and many wrinkles. He looked like he was one hundred years old, which in fact he was presumably much older. He had on a white Vulcan robe, with writing down the sides of the hems. He also had the usual Vulcan black hair and pointed ears and a stone-face that would take quite a bit to change it.

"Captain Archer? I am Virok. You inquired about a young Vulcan by the name of Selack, correct?" He stated or asked all this with his stoned-face perfection. 

"Yes, that's right." Archer answered, trying his best to not smile and show as little emotion as possible in respects to their customs. 

"As far as our databanks are concerned, he does not exist. No Vulcan by the name Selack has been born for over four hundred years."

"Well, he certainly isn't four hundred. Maybe Selack's not his real name. Maybe he lied about it." Archer hypothesized.

"Impossible, Vulcan's do not lie." Virok stated, sounding almost offended.

Archer rolled his eyes while in a position the Vulcan could not see it happen. When he turned back he said, "That's not the only thing, we think, he may have lied about. The Vulcan monastery we found him at, had been attacked. He was the only survivor. The scans we took and of another planet we recently just visited, that was also attacked, had the same attack patterns. But my tactical officer found them inconsistent, meaning someone tampered with them. And the last person to look at each of them was Selack." Archer gave him the briefest briefing in the history of briefs. 

"Do you have any solid evidence to prove this?"

"Not yet. Right now it's just speculation." Archer answered.

"I will continue to look into this Selack. Perhaps I could find him by looking into… other sources." With that, Virok cut the comm., turning the screen blank once again.

**Engineering**

"Well, you certainly seem… happy this morning." Selack commented to Trip as he practically skipped into engineering, smiling like a maniac. 

"Great night." Trip answered, then continued with, "And mornin'."

Selack raised an eyebrow and gave him an expression, simply saying 'I don't want to know'.

"Any way, how's things here." Trip said, never losing the smile but becoming more serious and shifting into 'chief engineer' mode.

"Things are doing well," Selack respond.

"Good," Trip nodded.

He had a distant look in his eyes, a look Selack knew meant he was deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"Where we're, ah," Trip cleared his throat and Selack knew he meant T'Pol and him. "Ya know, where we're goin' from here." He didn't even look at Selack when he said all that. 

'I hope marriage and a child,' Selack thought sarcastically as Trip slowly came back to reality. "I'm sure you will fine… 'where you are going'." Selack told him reassuringly. 

"Yea, thanks," Trip replied to the now retreating form. 

He furrowed his brow for a moment, again in thought. Then he called out to Selack, "Hey, kid, wait-a-sec." 

Selack paused as told to. When he turned around, he was signaled to enter a remote area of engineering. "You have another question, Commander?" Selack asked with a raised eyebrow. "And, considering where we are, I would assume it involves T'Pol." 

"Yea, sort of." Trip replied, reluctantly. He wrinkled his face, showing the internal conflict of weather or not to asked him.

Selack, for his part, just stood there, watching his father's younger self. He stood fascinated by the similarities between the two. The way he walked, stood, talked, even looked in most ways. His eyes, stance, empathy and believes were the same, as always. He had always been told he shared those exact features with his father.

When Trip finally spoke, he sounded a bit embarrassed. "Ya know, I know Vulcans don't really like to, uh, touch or anything. I was just wonderin'… why?"

Selack gave him an amused look, one a bit more emotional than most Vulcans would give anyone. Once Selack composed himself, he answered with, "Touching is considered a very…" Selack paused as he thought of the most appropriate word. "intimate gesture on Vulcan."

"Oh," Trip responded in a surprised voice, raising both his eyebrows. 

Selack, with what Trip was asking, he was saying, and his reactions to all this, he was having a very hard time not laughing or at least smiling. Selack raised his eyebrow and said, "I should go, I have… an appointment with Dr. Phlox." Trip nodded and dismissed him.

**Sickbay**

The Doctor and Selack were discussing some thing, which included the reason for his nausea. After he had filled the Doctor in on all he knew, the Doctor asked a question that had been nagging him since the day he had been told his secret. "Selack, why did you tell me? About who you are and all. I mean you could have come up with some strange story or say that my sensors were faulty. But instead you told me the truth. Why?"

Selack smiled, he knew this question was coming. "Why? I took a guess. I knew there was someone onboard I was supposed to tell, I just didn't know whom. I knew it wasn't my parents, I assumed it wasn't the Captain. But I was almost positive it was you."

"Yes, but why me? Why even consider me out of the ninety other crewmen aboard?" The Doctor asked.

"What year is this, in human time?"

"January, 2153, I believe. Why?" Was Phlox reply.

"Then you'll, hopefully, find out in seventeen to eighteen months." Selack smiled, amused by the Doctor's confusion. "Oh, and then seven years after that."

Before the Doctor could say anything else, "Selack, will you report to my ready room, now." Captain Archer ordered over the comm. system in Sickbay. Selack and Phlox exchanged worried glances, he was quite mad and whatever Selack had done, was most likely going to get him into trouble. 

**Captain's Ready Room**

"I just finished a very interesting conversation with a member of the Vulcan High Command." Archer said, rapidly losing his close. Selack tried to stay in his 'Vulcan face', but was having trouble. Being talked to like this was never one of his strong points in keeping his emotional control. "And you want to know what it was about?" Archer continued, it sounded much like a father about to tell his trouble-making son that he just got a phone call from school about something he did. 

"Yes, sir." Selack obediently replied.

"According to them, you don't exist. According to Dr. Phlox and my eyes, you do. Now I would like to know what's going on." Archer elaborated.

"I do not know, sir." Selack replied, as calmly as he could in this situation.

"Then how about the data. You what to explain that?" 

"Explain what about the data?" Selack asked, playing innocent.

"Malcom found that the data was flawed. After running some test and using other data we have, he was able to find out who really did it. The Suliban. Now why didn't you want us to know that?" Archer said all this in a menacing tone. 

"Like I said, sir, I do not know anything about it." Selack said, trying to keep his emotions out of his eyes in order to keep Archer from seeing the guilt and how he was lying.

"Alright. But I still want an explanation as to why you don't have exist in the Vulcan databanks." Archer ordered.

'Maybe because I don't yet,' Selack thought to himself. He tried to think fast and the only good excuse he could think of would have to work. Well, at least it's sort of true. "My parents did a lot of traveling and they were also a bit like fugitives. In a way. My mother gave birth to me on a ship, far from Vulcan, it would be a likely assumption that Vulcan never knew of my existence." 

Archer nodded, obviously accepting his explanation. "Very well, you're dismissed." 

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Now my head hurts. It's hard to put all of these three story lines together and make them work. 

Oh, well, a good story must give the writer a headache or else it's no good.

Anyway, please R/R, I would like to hear what you think of this chapter. Especially 'T'Pol's Quarters', was that overly wrong or not bad. Like I said before, I've never even kissed anybody, so this is all off of other stories and shows/movies I've watched.


	13. The End of the Beginning and the Beginni...

Author's Note: This is almost the last chapter; I have only one other chapter I'm going to be posting, I think. The next one will be the epilogue, Trip, T'Pol, and Selack in the future.

Summary: How will Selack escape this time when both Malcom and Archer confront him?

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Chapter 13:

The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End

**Bridge**

The next day was much more energetic than normal. Even for a day when they came across a new planet. This time they had found a system of twenty-two planets. The one down side was, only two were m-class, one being the third planet from the sun and the second the eighth. The third planet wasn't inhabited, but their scans of the eighth were inconclusive, so they were going in for a closer look.

As they got closer, they could see that it had four rings. Each was a different shade of blue and/or purple. The planet was a mixture of tans, browns, whites, and bluish purple. They all formed swirls and strips of colors as they blended together in different areas. But the interesting part was the purple and blue shadow that had formed, from the rings, to make the planets outline. The outline almost seemed to blend right into space. And its beauty amazed the entire bridge. 

Archer, though still suspicious of him, sent Selack, along with Hoshi, T'Pol, and Ensign Larry Mathews, a security officer. Ensign Mathews was twenty-three and averagely sized for his age. He had black hair and brown eyes, with tan skin. And his accent gave his Russian heritage away. He was strong, agile and one of Malcom's best officers, for an Ensign. Archer was about to go himself, but remembered the call he was waiting for from Virok.

And though Malcom gave Archer a strange look went he said he was sending Selack down, and was the one who wanted a security officer down there, no one was the wiser about their suspicions of Selack.

**Archer's Ready Room**

"Captain, you have an incoming message from the Vulcan High Command." The Ensign subbing for Hoshi informed him.

"I'll take it in here," Archer replied.

"Hello again, Captain Archer." Virok greeted him with his usually Vulcan cheer.

"Virok, I assume you have something on Selack." Archer said getting right to business. 

"You're correct, I was able to track down one other Selack. The new information you sent almost confirms it." Virok told him. With Archer's nod, he continued. "It appears he was born on a ship and his birth unknown to the Vulcan High Command. His parents were fugitives, but died almost four human years ago. He has been known to work with more… shadowy individuals." It seemed even more likely to Archer that Selack is involved with the Suliban.

The door chime indicated that someone wanted to talk to him or give him a report. "I have to go, Virok. Thank-you." He turned off the screen and called out, "Come in."

The doors slide open and reviled Malcom. He steeped in, his face written with concern. The way he walked and his body language showed the obvious appearance of having bad news.

"Malcom, what's the news?" Archer asked.

He hesitated a moment, "I've confirmed it was Selack who altered the data." He tossed a PADD to Archer containing all the information of how he came to his conclusion. 

Archer skimmed it over. When he finished, he looked up at his Chief of Security and handed it back. After a moment of thought, he filled him in on his conversation with Virok and his thoughts on it.

**On The Planet**

It was a canyon! The whole damn planet was a canyon! 

The ground was dusty and had yellowish tan color with hints a white here and there. There where green and brown shrubs everywhere, most dead but some were still alive. The shrubs were the second worst part, since the away team kept getting caught in them. The worst part, for the humans, was the extreme heat. It must have been at least one hundred and thirty-something degrees Fahrenheit. 

Another problem was all the cliffs and rock structures that had formed everywhere. Also their scanners only had a ratio of ten meters, making it impossible to see all the cliffs and making them use their eyes rather than scanners for directions. 

They split up into two groups, T'Pol and Hoshi and Selack and Mathews. Mathews and Selack had been traveling around an area of cliffs and cracks in the ground.

Selack soon found that Mathews had never quite learned how to keep his mouth shut. He inhaled deeply and raised his eyebrow, as he pulled on all his training to keep his control over his annoyance.

"So how do you like the Enterprise? This vould make, vhat, about a month now?" Mathews rambled on. 

"Shh… did you ear that?" Selack had heard a sound of something rubbing a rock, but they were both a meter in front of the last one they past.

"Hear vhat?" 

"Shh," Selack motioned for him to stop and he looked around, but saw nothing. Mathews did the same, shifting back to security mode. He shrugged his shoulders when he didn't see anything. They continued to walk, this time more cautious and quiet. 

After a few minutes, Selack heard it again. Only this time it was quickly followed by the sound of phaser fire. Seconds later he saw Mathews fall limp on the ground. Selack bent down and quickly checked his pulse: dead. 

Selack scanned the area with his eyes, letting his eyes inspect everything. He saw something move, and that's when he knew that had to be who or what shot Mathews. As he looked closer, he knew what that something was. 

He took out his communicator and told the Sub-Commander and Hoshi what happened and where he was. Then he pulled out Mathew's phaser and followed the movement. "I know who you are! Show yourself! Instead of being a coward and hide behind your genetic alterations!" Selack yelled as he trained his weapon where he knew the Suliban was. 

An evil laughter echoed around him as the Suliban came into view. "Brave words, for a child about to die." He continued to walk toward him, Selack showing no sign of backing down or showing the fear that the Suliban's imitation was supposed to induce. 

Selack's eyes were trained on the weapon, learning about it, remembering what it can do. The Suliban looked down at the weapon and then back at Selack. "You want this? Well have it." The Suliban throw his weapon over the cliff; Selack stood horrified of why he did that. Before Selack knew what was happening, his gun shared the same fate as his. 

When Selack figured out what happened, he had been thrown onto the ground. But before the Suliban was able to jump on him, he rolled over and elbowed him in the back. He popped up and before he knew it, they were engaged in a fight to the death. 

**Hoshi and T'Pol**

They had found the same basics as the other two: cliffs, rock structures, shrubs, heat, and dust. Only they got a surprise visit from Malcom and Captain Archer. 

"Captain, Lieutenant, why are you here?" T'Pol asked, practically suspicious, as their figures walked slowly toward them. 

"Where are the other two?" Archer inquired when he didn't see them. 

"We split up to cover more ground." Hoshi answered. She concluded with a, "Yea, why are you here."

Malcom and Archer shared a look before Archer responded with, "We have reason to believe Selack may be… involved with the Suliban. After some test, Malcom found that Selack tampered with the data he collected and that it actually was the Suliban who attacked the two planets. Along with other things we don't have time to explain but I will later." 

"Do you know where he is, we have to get to him?" Malcom inquired just in time for T'Pol's comm. to chirp.

T'Pol took out her comm. and answered, "Yes?"

"Sub-Command, Ensign Mathews is… dead. I am approximately two kilometers away from the shuttle pod, and I may require some assistance." They could hear a single phaser fire before the link was cut. T'Pol and the other three looked at each other, mostly with remorse but with slight interest. A few seconds later they headed to the area he said they were.

Twenty or so minutes later they were there. Ensign Mathew's body was lifeless on the ground, back facing up, and he definably looked dead. Farther back they could see Selack and a Suliban, engaged in an intense fight. Malcom had considered shooting the Suliban, but they were to close to separate and aim properly.

They watched the scene for another minute or so before someone yelled out, "They're heading for the cliff!"

**The Cliff**

His feet were right on the edge of a cliff. The rocks were falling under his feet and he could feel himself slipping with them. The Suliban's nails dug into his throat and he could feel his windpipe starting to be closed off. His own hands were clawing at the Suliban's arms and hands trying to brake free. 

He knew he could not win now, but if he were to fall, he was going to take this Suliban with him. He tensed as his chance came. The Suliban had released a hand and had gone to punch him, but Selack grabbed it. In the process he lost his balance and ended up taking the two of them down.

Just before they hit the bottom, one of them was engulfed in a beam of light and disappeared. Then a thud could be heard, even at the top of the cliff where the away team now stood. 

They began their trek down but, in the end, they would find only the one body. 

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So was it Selack who's body they found? Did his destiny just blow up in his face? What will happen to the future now if that did happen? Or was he the one who escaped? 

Please R/R and tell me what you think happened and you can see who was the closest to the truth.


	14. Things Set in Motion

Author's Note: I don't really have anything to say but enjoy. 

Summary: How do the two parents react to finding out they knew their son years before he was born?

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Chapter 14:

Things Set in Motion

Two weeks later, Trip and T'Pol's relation had grown significantly. They were very close and Trip was even considering proposing. But not today. 

Today was the day of Selack's funeral. They had searched for Selack or, at least, his remains during those two weeks, but they never found a thing. Nor did they discovery what happened to him. Even though, they still held a funeral for him. Starfleet style. 

After Trip gave a heart warming eulogy, telling of what little they knew about him. He told of the friendship he forged with the young Vulcan. And told everyone of how he never would forget him. Everyone remained silent as the smooth, black tube came by. It cared nothing, but used to simulate the idea of burying the body. 

Archer and Malcom had, in respects, had anyone who knew of his collaboration keep it quiet. They cleared everything up with the senior staff by telling them their findings, but after the scene with him and the Suliban, they were seriously reconsidering what they thought.

**About seven months later**

A cry could be heard throughout sickbay as a new life came into the world. 

T'Pol almost smiled with joy as her baby was placed in her arms. Trip did, as he hopped around the room, which was enough to break her Vulcan control. She had learned to let lose at times while she was pregnant and married to Trip. 

Their son was beautiful, tiny points were on his ears, he had the Vulcan greenish tint to his skin, and he had his father's hazel eyes.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Dr. Phlox asked the couple, as he smiled at the child and he knew what his role in all this was. 

"Not really, we still haven't been able to settle on a Vulcan or human name. Any ideas?" Trip responded. 

"How about," Phlox responded with, "Selack."

The two smiled at the memory of the person who first owned that name. "That would be perfect." T'Pol answered. 

"Selack," Trip said, smiling at his son. Then he looked harder and, perhaps it was only his imagination, but he thought he could see some of the late Selack in him. Trip's smile widen, the name would go perfect with their child.

**Seven Years Later**

They had been living on an outpost for the past two and a half years, ever since Enterprise's mission ended. It was a small m-class planet in a system between Vulcan and Earth. It was more of a trading post and science colony, but there were cases of ships coming for more than those things like repair jobs.

Trip was a local engineer. He helped to repair ships in need of matinees when they came. Or he would repair things that broke down in the 'colony', as everyone called it. But when he wasn't working, he taught his son everything he knew, just as he did on Enterprise. 

T'Pol mostly worked in the lab the outpost was known for. They did all sorts of experiments, including working on new weapons, shielding, and such. She, too, taught Selack all she knew in her spare time.

Both Trip and T'Pol had agreed they didn't want to live on either Earth or Vulcan because they felt it would limit Selack's decision to chose the Vulcan or human way of life. On Enterprise both T'Pol and Hoshi taught him the Vulcan language and culture. Along with meditation and metal discipline to complete the understanding of the Vulcan way of life.

Trip and just about the rest of the crew taught him the human way of life. They taught him English, humor, the human culture, and introduced him to the food of the planet.

Though he was now seven years old, he still had not expressed a desirer to be either one. But to be the mix of them, like he was. 

The two parents stood watching their son play with the other human children. He could be as human as all those children or as much of a Vulcan as his mother was when Trip first met her. 

There were certain characteristics they were beginning to find… familiar. His hair, for one, it had the same blonde strips that his namesake had. His voice, stance, eyes, and even some habits were all eerily similar, if not exactly the same, to the former Selack. These things concerned yet intrigued the two.

"Phlox is due to arrive in a few minutes. We should be going." T'Pol reminded her husband and they headed out to meet him. 

A few hours later, they had all said hello and caught up with each other. They fond out that Phlox had been teaching at the Academy for the past two years, finding that he missed human company too much. Then Phlox, reluctantly, reminded why he was there.

Selack was out playing with his friends, understanding it was a 'grown up' talk. He had gotten to see Phlox again and knew he would again later. Phlox had always been one of his favorite people onboard Enterprise because it always seemed like he had a secret about him that he couldn't tell for some reason. 

"So, doc, what's up?" Trip asked, as they were finally situated.

Phlox thought of a way to start and how to say what he had to say. "Well, I assume you've noticed the… familiar features Selack's grown into."

"Yes, they do seem to fit the late Selack's appearance." T'Pol answered with her usual raised eyebrow. 

"Well, he's, uh, not so late. In two ways." After receiving two blank stares, he continued with, "Are, so called, 'late' Selack was actually transported back to the future. Hopefully about nine years from now. Plus the fact, that Selack," Phlox said pointing to a picture of their son, "Is the same as the one we meet and befriended years ago."

The two looked surprised by that, but also very uncertainty. "How do you know that, Doctor?"

"He entrusted me with his secret all those years ago and knew I would understand that I had the… responsibility of explaining it to you three." Phlox finished with, "It's his destiny to go back and do what the Selack we remember, do."

"Why now?" Trip asked.

"He gave hints that it would be around this time that he would be leaving."

"How does he do that?" T'Pol asked, always the scientist. 

"Remember Daniels," They nodded, showing that they remembered. "It was him and his 'people'. He also told me once he found out, he had to prepare by learning all about everything that happened in that time period. Also about the places and such we went to."

The two parents looked out the glass wall, which looked out into their back yard, were their son still played. He would grow up to be the young man they remembered from so long ago. 

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Guess what? There's actually one more chapter!

It's kind of short but still something I wanted to post only I didn't want it in this chapter. 

Anyway, two letters, R/R please. 


	15. Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Author's Note: I had an idea and I wanted to add it, but I didn't want it in the last chapter. It's short, but I think you'll like it. 

Summary: A young boy wakes up somewhere else and doesn't remember how he got there. Where is he? How did he get there? And will he remember anything?

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Chapter 15:

Home Is Where The Heart Is

He was extremely sore and had a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and found himself and the ground. It was grass, bright green grass. Much too bright for his headache.

The last thing he could remember was… falling. He had been… in a fight. A fight with… with a… a Suliban. They had gone over… something. A cliff, that was it. 

They had been on a desert planet, not a grassy one. As he slowly lifted himself up, he saw no cliffs or rocks or anything that belonged to that planet. But he could see structures, houses of some kind. How had he gotten here?

He forced himself up, wincing at the pain it caused. Once he brushed himself off, he straightened up and composed both his body and face. Then he looked around at his surroundings. They looked very familiar, but his memories were just beyond his reach. The headache was keeping him from recalling much of anything. 

As he continued forward, the buildings grew but his memories stayed just out of his grasp. He could hear laughter echoing around him, a beautiful sound that made him lose his control and smile. 

"I see ya still know how t' do that. Would've fouled me." A joking voice mocked behind him. It had a accent and tone that seemed so familiar to him, he just didn't know who it was.

That is, until he turned around. A man in his late forties stood in front of him. His once tan hair had begun to turn gray long ago. He had blue eyes and a boyish grin that still held it's youth, no matter the age of the owner. He stood, leaning against the tree next to him, with prefect ease. 

The young boy's face was paled and his breathing sallow. He gave the appearance of having just seen a ghost. His memory was finally working with him, and he remembered exactly who this was. His father. 

"Aren't ya goanna say 'hello' to yer old man?" His father asked, still in a joking manor. 

"Of course." He matched his smile. A huge, bright smile filled with all the relief, happiness, and joy he felt. The two engaged in a huge bear hug, the older slapping his son on the back.

"Trip?" A voice from somewhere asked. Footfalls were heard, as the two broke apart. A woman walked out of the nearby house. She was slim and looked like she was only in her mid- or late thirties. Her ears formed a point at the tips and her skin was tinted with a bronze, green like color. 

If possible, the son's grin widened; it covered he face. He knew who this was; it was his mother. The same person who he had inherited his own pointed ears and bronze skin. 

He looked around at his surroundings once again. The houses, the buildings, trees, and forest, even the people and laughing children started to register in his memory. He was back home. 

He looked back at his parents and just a suddenly his smile vanished. He looked confused, frightened almost. And this, in turn, frightened his parents. 

"What's wrong?" His father, Trip, asked, the concern not even attempt to be hidden from his voice. 

"I remember… before I left, I saw you… die. This… entire place attacked… and destroyed." He responded, though slow and timid, it was quiet sincere. 

His father smiled, he looked like a child with a secret. "Kid, you remember when you told me that your dad died just before you left for the monastery?" With his nod, he continued. "Well, after Phlox told us about who you are… who you would be, I realized that meant I would die before you left. We increased our scans and were ready this time." 

He smiled again, on the verge of laughing. Laughing about the circumstances, his life, a little piece of his past beginning used to save his father, temporally mechanics, just life in general. 

"Selack, Selack," Was a chanting that came from the laughing children. They had run over and starting to pull on his pants and shirt and tried to pull him over to were they were playing. And that's what made him lose his self-control and laugh with them. They continued to ramble on about playing with them, coming with them and where his was. 

He felt like time was moving very slow around him. He saw everything around as one big blur. Everything melted and blended together and he felt like he was spinning around as he was being reintroduced to his home. To them, he had only been gone for a few days, to him, it was months, but he was given one of the warmest greetings he had ever experienced. 

He was home again, but after being back on Enterprise, he couldn't decide which was his home. He lived there for a total of five, six years almost in a row, and he did have mixed feelings of leaving Enterprise a second time, only now without being able to say good-bye. But he knew, this was his home, his family. All of them, even the ecstatic children. 

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This is the last chapter. L But all good things must come to an end.

Anyway, please R/R and tell me how the story was. Thanks for reading and all the review I have gotten.

I am starting a new T/T story for a contest on another site, and when the rules permit I will be posting it on ff.net. So look out for it, you might be interested. 

Later, when I finish my other story, I think I might add more. I think it'll the future's perspective. You know, what happens when Selack goes to the future, what they tell him, why the chose him, why they were pushed into the situation.


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